Sexy Heroine And Nazi Mutants: TFAW Interviews Steve Mannion

This June, Asylum Press is going to drop the proverbial bomb with the premiere issue of Fearless Dawn. Fearless springs from the mind of writer, artist, and jack-of-all-trades creator Steve Mannion–it’s also a rollicking good time and packed full of action, fun, and tongue-in-cheek humor. I was struck by how much I took to this title, and it reminded me of the kind of offbeat tales that drew me into comics in the first place. Don’t believe me? We’ve got a full-color preview of Fearless Dawn #1 for you to look at right here. And as a special bonus, Steve and the fine folks at Asylum Press have been kind enough to share the cover to issue #2 and three pages at the pencil stage for your viewing pleasure! You’ll see them peppered throughout the interview. We at TFAW.com were lucky enough to find a free minute in Steve’s schedule, so sit back and enjoy as we talk about the dangers of Nazi mutants, his time at the Kubert School, and what it’s like to tackle everything involved in creating Fearless Dawn.

TFAW.com: We’re here today with Steve Mannion, who–amongst other things–is the creator, writer, and artist of the upcoming title Fearless Dawn from Asylum Press. Hi Steve. Thanks for taking a minute to talk with us today.

Steve Mannion: Thanks. Glad to be here.

TFAW.com: As I touched on, you’re sort of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to making comics. I think most people would say that any one of the roles you’ve chosen to tackle on Fearless Dawn would be plenty, but you’ve pretty much taken on the whole show. What’s going on there? Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or are you a man on a mission?

SM: LOL! . . . Probably a little of both.

TFAW.com: Alright then, standard obnoxious question when you’re talking to a multi-faceted creator: Which of these roles do you enjoy the most?

SM: Definitely the penciling. It’s fresh and it’s the first time the visuals really start to show themselves. Facial expressions and stuff like that. I stick in all the balloons and sound effects at this stage also.

TFAW.com: And was there one that presented the greatest challenge on this particular project?

SM: Finishing it. You know you’re running the race and you’re tired man, and there’s that finish line . . . it seems so far off sometimes . . . don’t . . . give . . . up!

TFAW.com: Well, for what it’s worth, I’m impressed in equal measure by both the art and the writing. There’s a great tone and cadence to the speech of your characters, and the art is entirely apropos. As an example, there’s a scene in an elevator that cracks me up because of the conversation being held and, simultaneously, the actions of the other passenger on the elevator. It seems to me that, to some extent, it would be more difficult to find that balance, since you’re creating both elements. How do you approach balancing the two?

SM: Gosh, I don’t know. I just kind of got the idea and did it. Maybe in that particular case it worked out.

TFAW.com: Now I know a bit about your background as an artist, and virtually nothing about your past experience writing. Let’s tackle them in order: how did you get started drawing?

SM: Just real young, I always did it. I always had a passion for it.

TFAW.com: I’m entirely envious of your time spent with Joe Kubert. What did your time with him bring to your style that wasn’t there before?

SM: Joe instilled a hard-working, deadline-oriented ethic in us. I didn’t know you could blow deadlines. He was heavy on that. And lettering! He loved to stress the importance of good lettering. Of course, the workload was staggering, so the repetition caused everyone’s chops to sharpen up. And being around that gang of guys, all of us students, it was great.

TFAW.com: Okay (and this is just my observation so maybe I’m nuts), I am also guessing you’re a man who’s looked at Rat Fink and Kustom Kulture with more than just a passing interest. There seems to be some echoes of Big Daddy Roth in the Nazi mutants. Am I crazy here?

SM: It’s weird, I wasn’t particularly interested in that stuff per se . . . maybe just coming through that era in art and culture it just sorta morphed in there? I was nuts about Wacky-Packs, Famous Monsters, Mad Magazine, Godzilla . . .

TFAW.com: Any other major influences of note, conscious or otherwise?

SM: Hmmm . . . Howard Pyle, Frazetta, Dave Stevens, Wally Wood, EC, Gigantor!

TFAW.com: Yes! Gigantor was awesome! So let’s hop back to the writing. Where did you get your start there?

SM: Probably just coming out of the Kubert school. Drawing little stories, thinking of little stories. Frankly, I never really felt the two were separate.

TFAW.com: Have you taken on scribe duties on any projects prior to Fearless Dawn?

SM: Just some other Mannion books, the “Big Hairy Ape” comics I did with Andy Marinkovich, Strange Pirate Tales, Strange Battle Tales and Strange Fairy Tales.

TFAW.com: And after Fearless Dawn, any plans to continue life behind the pen?

SM: We’re always plugging away on new stuff here!

TFAW.com: Well I’ve got to say I think Fearless Dawn is great. I’m definitely looking forward to her continuing adventures. Can you give us a hint of the troubles yet to come?

SM: Oh man, there’s gonna be some MONSTEROUS transformations, a resurrected bird, an A-bomb experiment, and a giant Gila monster. Good clean fun!

TFAW.com: Steve, thanks so much for taking some time to talk to us today. For everyone out there in reader-land, Fearless Dawn is being published by Asylum Press and is definitely worth checking out (you can get a glimpse of the first few pages right here at TFAW.com)! Steve, it’s been a pleasure. The best of successes to you and Fearless in your ongoing adventures.

SM: Thanks again!

So what do you all think? Are you excited to read Fearless Dawn? Anyone a fan of Mannion’s previous work, The Bomb? Any questions for him that we missed? Post them below!